The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea was recognized this week with one of the state’s highest awards for achievement in the arts – the 2013 Governor’s Award in the Arts Government Award. This annual award, presented in the Capitol Rotunda and coordinated by the Kentucky Arts Council, recognizes the work of an individual or agency that demonstrates significant support for the arts through government action.

The awards for the 2013 Governor's Awards in the Arts were created by artist John Keeton

As a state agency in the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea sells and promotes works by more than 700 Kentucky artisans, including craft and art, books, music and Kentucky Proud specialty foods. To date, the Center has welcomed more than 2.3 million visitors to Kentucky and sold more than $13 million in Kentucky artisan products.

“We enjoy providing a great shopping and educational experience daily for all our visitors,” center Executive Director Victoria Faoro said. “We are proud to bring art, art education, business and travel together under one roof to provide a marketplace for Kentucky’s artisans.”

First-time visitors often are surprised when they discover the center is much more than a rest stop. The landscaped grounds at the center offer travelers green space, and a walking trail gives them a chance to stretch their legs and enjoy a break from driving. Ample parking is available at the center, which is fully accessible.

Inside the center’s 25,000-square-foot facility, visitors can enjoy a full range of experiences. They can purchase quality Kentucky-made art works, learn about great Kentucky destinations, view special exhibits, listen to gallery talks, enjoy Kentucky cuisine in the Artisan Café, and watch as artists demonstrate their craft and share their creative processes.

Displays in the center’s lobby also showcase Kentucky’s great destinations and festivals, with center staff offering information about events throughout the state as well as travel directions and details. A “Berea’s Working Studios” video is available, along with local tourism staff, to tell the Berea community’s story as a regional center for art and craft.

Many visitors make the center a regular stop on their Interstate -75 travels.

The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is located at 200 Artisan Way, just off Interstate 75 at Berea, Exit 77. The center’s exhibits, shopping and travel information areas are open daily, year-round, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the cafe is open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is free. For information about the center’s programming, call 859-985-5448, visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kentucky.artisan.center, or go to the center’s website at www.kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov.

The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is an agency in the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.